


Kisses on the doorstep

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27421690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: When he said he'd see her tomorrow, he really meant it. Set after chapter 19.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 20





	Kisses on the doorstep

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! End of book 2 is upon us (a collective sound of sadness just rolled through the room). I have no idea what PB has in store, all I know is that I want my two idiots to be as happy as it gets, so here we are. Claire thought "There's someone I'd like to kiss tonight." and I was like "Yes, that's Ethan." and so the idea for this fic was born.  
> Enjoy! <3

Ethan pulled the edge of the comforter towards his neck, the cool air of the morning waking him up in the most uncomfortable way. The last thing he saw before he woke up was imprinted into his mind, the vision so vivid he could almost feel it physically.

Her arms wrapped around his chest, hugging herself to him from behind. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade and her lips kissing his back from time to time. The feeling was a familiar one; he has spent mornings waking up next to her before. In fact, over the past couple of weeks, so many of his mornings were spent with his arms wrapped around her that not having her with him felt strange.

He almost managed to convince her to go home with him last night. When they left the hospital for the last time, her friends were waiting for her outside. Upon seeing him by her side, a wave of whistles and encouragement erupted, getting louder as the distance between the two groups lessened.

“Ramsey, my man, are you joining us?” Bryce stepped forward, slapping Ethan’s shoulder when he was within his reach. The attending almost managed to resist a ghost of a smile, failing in the end.

“Joining for what?” he turned to look at Claire, but she didn’t have an answer for him either, shaking her head.

“We’re hitting the town. If our time in Boston is running out, we’re going to do as many things from our bucket lists as we can.” Elijah clarified, grinning widely at his friends. Instead of saying anything, Claire yawned, stress and the fast pace of the day catching up to her. A sound of disappointment rang among her roommates.

“Sorry guys, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stand on my feet much longer.” She yawned again, leaning against Ethan for support. His arm that was already around her shoulders tightened its hold on her at the same time as he planted his feet more firmly into the ground to avoid losing balance. “You should absolutely go ahead; I’ll head home, we’ll go out some other time.”

“If you’re sure.” Sienna wrapped Claire in a warm hug, whispering into her ear about how she should maybe take Ethan with her. The only answer she got was a dulled by exhaustion smile.

The group dispersed, leaving Ethan and Claire alone in Edenbrook’s parking lot. He pressed his lips to the side of her head, breathing in slowly.

“What do you want to do now?” he muttered, sliding his arm away from her so he could place his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him gently. She blinked a couple of times, her vision blurring slightly around the edges.

“While I would love to go home with you, I’m afraid I’m going to be bad company.” She hooked her index fingers with beltloops of his pants, pulling him just a fraction closer to her. “All I want is to take a shower and then fall onto my bed and wake up next week.”

“I’d say you’re a bit dramatic, but we both know how much we need sleep.” Ethan teased her, grinning at her face expression when she heard a bit of humor in his voice. She fell forward, pressing her forehead against his chest with a tiny sigh. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

Twenty minutes later, they were walking up the stairs towards the main entrance of her apartment building. Claire turned towards him with barely opened eyes, reaching with her hand for him. Ethan took it, letting her pull him towards her once more, bringing them close enough to each other to allow her to kiss him simply by standing on the tips of her toes.

Her lips almost touched his, landing on the right corner of them instead, but neither of them had the will to correct the angle. It was about comfort and security of the gesture, not the perfection of it.

They remained that way for a few seconds more, then leaned away to look at each other. Ethan ran his fingers over her hair softly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”

“Goodnight.”

Nine hours later, there he was, alone in his bed, with only the comforter to keep him warm. His body called for food and caffeine; his mind called for her. Fortunately for him, all of those needs could be tended to with the aid of a single phone call.

Her voice was filled with sleep and amusement when she answered. “That’s a pretty early ‘tomorrow’. Not that I’m complaining.”

“I missed the sound of your voice in the morning.” He argued, causing her to laugh. She stretched in her bed, a strained sound that left her lips familiar to him. “I wish I could see you right now. Though I already know what you look like.” He paused, passing the phone to his other hand, and propping his head on his unoccupied arm. “Disheveled hair. My shirt hanging loosely from your frame, exposing your thighs. A bit of a blush on your cheeks.” His voice took on a warm, infatuated tone. “Eyes squinting at the light coming through the windows because, as always, you forgot to close the curtains.”

“I sound adorable.” Claire giggled, turning her back to shield herself from the bright rays of sunshine that, as he said, were falling into the room and illuminating it.

“ _Irresistibly_ adorable.”

“Something tells me you didn’t call me just to say you miss me. Though, for the record, I miss you too.” She speculated that something else was going on, more so when his breath got caught in his throat, so suddenly she was able to hear it.

“You wouldn’t happen to know what combination of ‘food’, ‘coffee’ and ‘date’ I’d have to use to get you to meet me for breakfast in an hour?” he asked, smiling despite a bit of fear present in his voice. He’s been using every chance he got to experience moments like these, in which he wouldn’t be scared to ask her out; in which he wouldn’t be holding himself back from taking her to some openly public place.

She was surprised, but similarly to him, she was grinning widely at the thought of seeing him somewhere else than work or their apartments. “Use all of those, throw in a lot of kissing and I’m yours.”

“Perfect. Go on a date with me?” he asked after clearing his throat, already knowing how much teasing he was going to get from her for being so stressed about this, despite it not being the first time they did this. “Food and coffee at your favorite place.”

“What about those kisses?” Claire argued, throwing her blanket back and sitting up, shivering at the biting coolness of the morning air.

“I’m not going to limit myself by promising to only kiss you during the date. That’s both unnecessary and impossible to do.

“Good answer.”

\--------

An hour later, she left her apartment building, pushing heavy door open with her shoulder, Ethan leaning against the wall when she got there. Before any verbal pleasantries could be exchanged, he pulled her onto him, guiding her movements with a hand on her waist. Smirking, he observed how her surprise melted away, her features soon mirroring his. Rising to the tips of her toes, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed their lips together, kissing him with energy and enthusiasm.

“Good morning.” He hummed when their lips separated, diving right back in when she nuzzled her nose against his, blocking out the outside world for a while. When they did eventually separate, she refused to let him get too far away, the volume of her voice adjusted to the delicate contentment they felt.

“That’s exactly the way I wanted to kiss you last night.”


End file.
